


Retrouvailles

by SugarsweetRomantic



Series: Love Is a Dreamer [2]
Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F, Let Lucy Preston Love a Lady, Mentions of Rufus Carlin/Jiya Marri, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-08-11 04:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16469039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugarsweetRomantic/pseuds/SugarsweetRomantic
Summary: Lucy thought she'd never see Josephine again.





	1. Chapter 1

Lucy Preston loved travelling through time, she really did. However, most periods they travelled to hadn’t really embraced the power and knowledge of women yet, so to speak. So when she happened to go to an era where she could be, well, somewhat herself, she embraced it to the fullest. 1950s Miami was somewhere in between, but the fashion absolutely made it worth it. She wasn’t about to start wearing swing dresses and kitten heels around the bunker, but she didn’t mind being allowed to run around in them for a day or two. The undergarments weren’t exactly the most comfortable, but it was definitely better than the 1700s. If anything, the 50s fashion was much easier when it came to climbing in and out of the Lifeboat. 

So when the alarm went off and Jiya announced: “Miami, July 20th, 1950!” Lucy silently thanked the Heavens that she wouldn't have to force herself into a corset or three hundred petticoats today. Though, what in God's name was Rittenhouse doing in Miami? It wasn't exactly a high-profile year for the location, historically. Looking over to Flynn, he was shooting her a questioning gaze. 

“I'm lost,” he admitted. “No nice and easy drawings or addresses, in this case.” 

“If he can't even help us, why do we even keep him around?” Wyatt exclaimed. “We were doing just fine!”

“Right,” was Flynn’s only response. Before Wyatt could respond again, or Denise could get in between, Lucy suddenly called out: “Kefauver!” The entire bunker went silent until Mason cleared his throat and asked: “What?”

“Not what,  _ who _ ,” she clarified. “The United States Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce, known as the Kefauver Committee because of its chairman, Senator Estes Kefauver. They investigated organized crime which crossed state borders in the United States.” Flynn suddenly perked up.

“They held hearings in 14 cities. Why Miami?” he inquired.

“Miami had a huge branch of the Capone syndicate,” Lucy announced solemnly. “Besides, many of the committee's hearings were televised live on national television. Kefauver became a nationally recognized figure, and the committee enabled him to run for President. Later he began to make a name for himself as a crusader for consumer protection laws, antitrust legislation, and civil rights for African Americans.

“Antitrust legislation?” That question earned Wyatt an annoyed look from Flynn, who explained: “It saved your economy.”

“Okay, so, save the Senator? That's the idea?” Rufus asked.

“Basically.”

“Great. Get going, you four, then,” Denise commanded. Jiya placed a quick kiss on Rufus’ cheek before beginning to power up the Lifeboat tracking systems.

 

As they drove into the city, Lucy couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at their surroundings. She would never get over how amazing it was to see all the photos and descriptions of places in her books in person. The fangirling had gotten slightly less uncontrolled, but it still happened nevertheless. She couldn't really help it.

“Where exactly are we headed?” Wyatt asked from behind the wheel. He had fought Flynn for driving rights, eventually settling on letting Rufus flip a coin. 

“The Dade-County Courthouse,” Lucy tried to help. Flynn had been grumbling until Rufus had offered to navigate, meaning he was now sitting next to - or, well, it was more of a 'squished up against’ - Lucy in the Alfa Romeo Freccia d’Oro. She hadn't cared what kind of car they had stolen, but Wyatt had been complaining about not getting to drive an 'American Beauty’ in the fifties. In return, Flynn had scoffed at him for 'not appreciating European craftsmanship’. All in all, Lucy was glad to hear Rufus speaking instead of their other two teammates.

“It should be at 73 West Flagler,” the engineer stated.

“And how do we get there?” Wyatt asked. Sighing, Rufus unfolded the map of Miami. Lucy shot him an apologetic look via the rear-view mirror. It was going to be a long day.

 

As it turned out, stopping Rittenhouse with a team consisting of a black man, a tiny woman and two white men who were too busy trying to out-snark each other in the 1950’s, was about as difficult as it sounded. Emma had burst in, nearly shooting Flynn’s ear off in the process. Somewhere between the top floor and the exit of the admittedly humongous courthouse building, they had all gotten separated, while Emma took the chaos as an opportunity to get away safely. Kefauver was alive, but his co-chair Wiley hadn't made it.  Hopefully, that wouldn't affect the future too much, but he hadn't been too vital for the state of the USA, Lucy supposed. Now, she found herself standing in front of the Lifeboat with Rufus, waiting for the other two men while the pilot went through his pre-flight check. Just as a sports car pulled up with, surprisingly, both of them in it without having wounded each other, Rufus muttered: “Fuck.”

“What?” Lucy inquired, stepping closer so she could see his face. Her heels were slowly sinking into the grass. She knew she should've opted for saddle shoes, darn it, but she liked the way these amplified the length of her legs. Besides, it wasn't like they had had the broadest of choices, robbing the nearest store for outfits. 

“There’s a piece of a circuit breaker missing. I need to repair it before we can go home.”

“And how long is that going to take?” Wyatt asked, leaning against the car. 

“I’d need some parts from a hardware store,” Rufus replied, climbing out of the Lifeboat. Flynn checked his watch.

“It’s nearly seven. Everything will be closed when we get back to the city,” the tall man stated. Wyatt rolled his eyes.

“And where are we going to stay in the meantime?” Lucy asked, looking at all three of the men. She wasn’t about to spend the night camping in the Lifeboat.

“This is where my talents come in,” Flynn replied, looking much too smug. “Navigator, lead us to the Copa City nightclub!”

 

In the busy smoke-filled rooms of the Copa City, no-one realised the absence of a few wallets, until Flynn had already moved far away from his target. Lucy found herself pushed up against the wall together with Rufus, who looked less than comfortable.

“Isn’t segregation still a thing here?” the engineer asked, pulling nervously on the collar of his sweater. “Like, am I even allowed in here?” Flynn shrugged as he joined them.

“They let you in, didn’t they?” Wyatt replied, handing Lucy an unidentifiable drink. A loud belly laugh next to them made them turn around. A middle-aged man grinned at Lucy, before explaining: “You must not be from around here. It’s a special night tonight! You’re lucky you even managed to get in!” He stuck out his hand to greet the three of them. “I’m Samual Margaretten, and this is my wife, Evelyn.” Rufus smiled uneasily while Lucy announced: “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lucy, and these are Wyatt and Rufus.”

“What makes this night so special?” Wyatt asked. Samual only grinned again and pointed over at the stage where the night’s opening act was making way for the main performance, before nodding at them and guiding his wife onto the dancefloor. 

“Strange to think they’re dead in our time,” Rufus muttered.

“Only barely,” Lucy replied. “Evelyn lived to be…” Her train of thought was interrupted by a roar of excitement erupting from the crowd as a woman walked onto the stage. A loud crash followed as Lucy’s glass fell to the floor. Her eyes connected with the performer’s.

“Lucy?” Rufus inquired. 

All the historian could whisper was: “Josephine.”


	2. Chapter 2

Josephine’s performance went by like a gust of wind. All Lucy could do was keep her eyes trained on the singer. The boys seemed to have noticed that she had been rendered slightly...incapacitated, so they stood behind and next to her to prevent anyone from bumping into the mesmerised historian. 

“Is that…?” Rufus began, but Flynn shushed him. 

“Josephine Baker,” the Croatian answered, his voice slightly above a whisper. 

“We’ve met her before, Lucy and I.”

“I know,” Flynn replied with a smug look on his face.

 

The show was over much too soon to Lucy’s liking, and she spun around to face her teammates with a soft sigh. 

“I see you’re an admirer of jazz,” Flynn murmured, making the historian blush slightly. “Shall we go find a hotel?” Seeing as Josephine was being escorted off the stage by security, Lucy nodded. If anything, by now, the singer was even more of a huge star than she had been when they had first met in Paris twenty-three years earlier. She didn’t stand a chance. Taking a deep breath, she let the tall Croatian escort her outside and into their car. Rufus directed them to the Park Central Hotel because it was the one hotel Flynn was certain already existed in 1950. Lucy didn’t really care. She just wanted to find a bed and sleep until her tired limbs stopped aching and her heart ceased to bleed.

“Good evening young man,” Flynn greeted the receptionist. Wyatt had wanted to be the one to do the talking, but the taller man had reminded him that  _ he  _ was the one with the money. “Do you have any rooms available for tonight?”

“I’ve got two twins and one double, if that would suit you?” the young employee suggested.

“That’ll work,” Wyatt replied. Flynn visibly fought to stop himself from rolling his eyes. 

“Could you fill in your personal data here, sir?” Lucy watched his movements as he filled in the form the receptionist had handed him, smiling gently as she read the names:  _ ‘Wyatt Logan, Rufus Carlin, Geoff Flynn, Lucille Flynn-Logan’ _ . She couldn’t blame him for using a different name; Garcia wasn’t exactly a common name in the 50’s. Hell, it still wasn’t, at least not in the United States. Putting her down as his wife and Wyatt’s sister was a safety precaution; it meant that no-one would question the composition of their party and at the same time Lucy wouldn’t be harassed by potential suitors.

“Why’d you put me down as Lucille?” she asked him as they made their way to the elevator that would take them to their rooms. He shrugged.

“Mistake.”

“You don’t make mistakes.”

 

Rufus and Wyatt each took one of the twin rooms, and Flynn and Lucy took the double to keep up appearances. Just as she was getting ready to turn in for the night, a soft knock sounded at their door. Raising an eyebrow, Lucy watched Flynn open it, to reveal a woman standing in the hallway.

“Josephine?” Lucy couldn’t remember how to move. Flynn grinned, and commented: “I’ll be next door.” With that, he left the room to join Rufus in his, leaving the two women by themselves. 

“It  _ is  _ you,” the Creole woman stated, taking a tentative step forward. “May I come in?”

“Yes, of course,” Lucy exclaimed. She made her way over to the other woman and guided her inside. The moment the door closed behind her, Josephine let out a soft sigh. 

“I wasn’t sure it was you when I saw you at the Copa, but when I saw the note, I just had to come see you.”

“The note? What note?” Lucy inquired. 

“The note your... _ husband _ … left me at the Copa? Telling me to come here?” Lucy had never been more confused than she was now, and she’d had to learn to deal with the fact that time travel was real in a very short time period. Had Flynn arranged this? How had he even known her connection to Josephine?

“He did, did he?” she asked, leading the entertainer over to the bed. “I’m glad he did.” The admission left her lips on a whisper. “You’re as beautiful as ever.”

“You haven’t aged a single day,” Josephine told her softly, raising a hand to brush Lucy’s hair behind her ear.  _ Actually, it’s been a few weeks _ , Lucy thought absentmindedly. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

“Neither did I,” Lucy whispered.

“Do you love him?”

“Who?”

“Your husband. Geoff?” Oh. Right.

“It’s...lavender,” Lucy replied, hoping the woman would get the insinuation. Josephine nodded. Thank God.

“Lucille?” the singer asked. Lucy nodded, encouraging her to go on. “I’d like to kiss you.”

“I can’t stay any longer than tonight,” the historian warned.

“I know.” At that statement, Lucy pressed her lips against the other woman’s. Though war and age had roughened her skin, she still smelled the same; still tasted the same. Josephine gasped softly before returning the enthusiasm with her own, gently guiding her to rest on top of the smooth bed sheets. She smiled down at the younger woman, reaching out to gently stroke Lucy’s cheek. “I never stopped thinking of you,” she admitted.

“Neither did I of you,” Lucy replied. She reached out to pull Josephine closer against her, letting her delicate perfume calm her raging nerves. “Could you…” she began, but her lack of courage failed her.

“Hmm?” Josephine asked, kissing her forehead.

“Could you just hold me tonight?”

 

In the early morning, Flynn quietly slipped back into the room. He was met with the sight of the two women, curled up as close together as humanly possible. Smiling, he woke them with a gentle whisper.

“It's time to get up. We have to leave soon. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

 

Lucy silently grasped Josephine’s hand, leading her into the bathroom. She cried silent tears as they showered, letting the Creole woman’s embrace soothe her anguish. 

 

“Come see me again?” Josephine asked as they were about to part ways. They were standing in the lobby of the Park Central, with Flynn, Wyatt and Rufus standing nearby. Rufus had managed to find all he needed to repair the circuit breaker and they were anxious to head back to 2018 before Rittenhouse jumped again.

“I can’t promise that,” Lucy replied, mimicking the conversation they had had in Paris in 1927. “But I promise I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

 

When they got back to their own time, Flynn waited until everyone had left the room to drop a circuit breaker on the engineers' desk. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The Park Central Hotel still exists to this day, though it is now called the Celino Hotel.  
> \- Lavender marriages are a specialised form of marriages of convenience, where the partners were concealing the fact that the sexual orientation of at least one of them was not primarily heterosexual.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
